


Heritage Heresy

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Flashbacks, Introspection, M/M, Scorbus, Some Fluff, its got its happy moments too, ok this is pretty angsty but these are some angst filled kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7751131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After abusing the time turner, Scorpius Malfoy has a lot of questions as to what all has led up to this point and where he stands as an individual. It's just a pity that he can't entirely seem to focus on that when his mind keeps wandering to the boy who was by his side during the whole thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I loved Scorbus, so of course I wanted to give Cursed Child the ending it didn't get. I also would have loved more angst on the Malfoy side of the story, so boom - here's some of that! 
> 
> Special thanks to Tumblr user @shitz-suji for brainstorming so many HP headcanons with me! We're so deep in this hellhole.

When it came to heritage, Scorpius Malfoy considered himself an expert on the topic.

Roots are what make a person who they truly are, for better or for worse. When one is young and innocent, they always want to be just like their parents. Unity forms, and the child is quickly a reflection of the family – and vice versa. It makes sense that one would want to keep their roots seemingly as unjaded as possible. If these roots were already murky, however, there wasn't much one could do.

This truth was rather unfortunate to Scorpius, who had learned at a young age that this familial connection can be quite the disadvantage for some. If roots are established from conception itself, the way others will perceive that somebody is formed at that moment too. As Scorpius had learned the hard way years later, the past should be forever permanent, even if you wish it otherwise.  

So if the past cannot be changed, why not change the future? What better idea than to start over and go somewhere unrecognized?

While that hadn’t exactly been Draco and Astoria Malfoy’s plan, it was true that they had isolated themselves throughout Scorpius’ childhood, sometimes spending months at a time in different estates owned by both the Malfoy and Greengrass families alike. It had been more about helping Scorpius's mother's health than just starting over, though surely there had also been a desire to get away from all the hate after the war. Needless to say, that backfired. The phrases “Malfoy” and “happy ending” rarely went together.

Rewind to Scorpius at age ten. He remembered a certain day very well.

“And you’ve talked to the Daily Prophet about it?”

“Of course I have!”

“More than once?”

“Yes, Astoria! They won’t listen. They learn it’s me and immediately discard anything I have to say.” There was a sound of papers rustling, presumably the Daily Prophet itself. “They’re so damn desperate for sales, they’d stoop this low just for a chance to use Voldemort’s name again.”

“It’s absolutely amoral, that’s what it is! Absolutely ruining a child’s life, just for marketing? And they have the nerve to think  _we’re_ the bad guys?”

“I’ll put an end to this. I’ll talk to them again. And again. They can’t keep publishing such a blatant lie about Scorpius being his son. It's absurd.”

“You know they can, Draco, and they will.”

“If money’s what they want, we can give them that.”

Scorpius sat outside of his parents’ room. He held a box of Wizard’s Chess in his grip, and he had hoped that possibly one of his parents would like to play it with him. It appeared to not be the best time. Having heard his name mentioned, however, Scorpius found himself lingering by the door. 

“I just fear making it worse. What if the bribe gets in the papers, Draco? Then everyone would think it’s true. Maybe I could go down there, and talk with them.”

“You can’t. They’d be really hard on you. It wouldn't be good for your health.”

Astoria started to say something in rebuttal, but there was a horrible crack to her voice. Scorpius couldn’t hear anything for a moment, but he finally made out his mother speaking, a little weaker this time. “It’s the whole reason we’re in this mess.”

“You know there’s more to it than that.”

“But if we hadn’t had to isolate ourselves like this…because of me…”

“They’d be after us no matter what. Staying in the background was one of the only options.”

“I just feel so selfish! Scorpius has his first year at Hogwarts next year! What a horrible way to start his school career! He’s been so excited for it, Draco.”

“They'll be a bunch of eleven year olds. Surely not every child has read the papers.”

“Parents talk.”

There was some reluctant agreement from Draco’s end. “They do.”

“We need to talk to Scorpius about this.”

“I know.”

“But how do we even begin?”

Both Draco and Astoria looked horrified when Scorpius opened the door to their room. He was still hugging the chess box, though that was far from his mind.

“The papers say I’m Voldemort’s son?” Scorpius said it first. Both of his parents seemed to have trouble knowing what to answer, which was very uncomfortable. Usually at least Draco could pretend he had control of the situation.

Astoria walked over to Scorpius. She bent down to look at him at an equal level. “Scorpius…” She wrapped her arms around her son, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but you don’t have to worry, we’ll fix it.”

“It’s not true, right?”

“Of course it’s not! People will know that!”

“Father says The Daily Prophet is always full of lies,” Scorpius said, and he looked back to Draco, who seemed a little paler than normal at this point. He had an odd expression on his face - was it guilt? “Maybe they won’t believe it.”

“People believe what they want to believe,” Draco said. Astoria gave him a pained look, but he didn’t stop explaining his point. “It may just blow over, hopefully before you even start school. And Merlin knows I’ll do everything I can to assure that. But as a Malfoy, you need to be prepared for this sort of thing.”

“But it doesn’t make sense,” Scorpius said. Astoria had stood back up, but she kept an arm around her son, tightly. “Voldemort died way before I was born.”

"Yes, but - "

“It's because they think we’re evil,” Scorpius said. He glanced at his father's left arm, and the next statement was directed more at him. “Even if things have changed, they see your Dark Mark and they hate us!” Scorpius pulled away from his mother. He wanted to be alone. Before anything else could be said, he exited the room, dropping the chess board onto the ground behind him. The pieces scattered about the room, leaving a mess for his parents or maybe the house elves to deal with. He didn't particularly care at that moment.

"Scorpius-" Draco called out, but Scorpius ignored it. 

* * *

 

Having detention every day for a whole school year – possibly career - really gave one time to think. And thinking was what Scorpius both loved and hated to do. Every day, he and Albus would report to the potions professor and she would give them some sort of monotonous chore. Honestly, she seemed to pity them, and it was usually nothing too difficult. Organize the potions bottles, clean the closet, alphabetize the books. It took no real brain power, allowing the boys’ minds to wander wherever they pleased - or didn't please. She didn't control that.

Albus’s mind seemed to be on one thing when they were in that classroom – how hot this teacher was. Professor Amery with those smoky eyes, thick and wavy dark brown hair, and feminine curves…Scorpius personally found nothing special about it. She was just like any other witch, only ten years or so older than they were. Unlike his friend, Scorpius could clearly think of other things while cleaning cauldrons: like why they were in that classroom in the first place. 

His mind was always filled with flashbacks, replaying various childhood memories and trying to construct something meaningful out of them. It was all in vain. He was a Malfoy, through and through, just as Albus was a Potter. Just as Malfoys tended to do, he’d put the world in danger. Scorpius just hoped and prayed that since that putting-the-world-in-danger requirement was done and out of the way, there would be something he could do to set himself apart from the family name. Maybe he'd proven that he couldn't break that streak, but maybe he could bring out a positive side of the Malfoy name that hadn't ever been seen. At least not in a long time.

Making mistakes was inherently human, though society was much more forgiving of anything a Potter did wrong. A Malfoy, however? Of course people expected them to make mistakes, but not because they were people. If they messed up, it was blamed on them being Death Eaters, villains, monsters who should have been in Azkaban. Yet both Harry and Draco had both just done what society had expected of them; what they needed to do to be accepted as part of their family, their roots. They were just on totally opposite ends of the societal spectrum.  Just like Scorpius, Draco hadn’t intentionally put the world in danger. He just wanted to be accepted by his family like Scorpius wanted to be accepted by…well, Albus.

Scorpius glanced over at Albus: the boy who hugged him multiple times and the boy who was currently eyeing their potions professor as she graded homework. 

Yes, detention also gave Scorpius time to think about Albus. 

Albus's thick hair, dark and wavy and a little all over the place, giving the impression of constant bedhead. Albus's bright green eyes, and the way they'd sparkle whenever he got a brilliant new idea - or maybe scheme was the right word (what a perfect Slytherin). Albus's bright white smile, a little crooked but charming nonetheless. His laugh. His voice. Even his loyalty to Scorpius, despite all the reasons to not be so. It was hard not to be entranced by Albus Potter. 

Scorpius shook these thoughts out of his head. As much as he could envision with Albus, it was pointless. He should have been focused on cleaning potions bottles, not...Albus's rather defined jawline or Albus's forearm or Albus's hands or - 

After a painstakingly long hour, Professor Amery finished her work and therefore decided that the boys had finished theirs. She smiled politely at the duo. “Alright boys, you can leave now. I’ll see you in class tomorrow. Don't forget your assignment.”

Albus smiled back, melting. “We won't. Thank you, Professor Amery.”

The two Slytherin students made their way back to the Common Room. Albus was in good spirits. 

“I did the math and we have approximately sixty more detentions left before Christmas break,” he announced.

“Sixty more hours of personal time with Professor Amery, you mean,” Scorpius said. He said it lightheartedly, though his stomach tightened.

Albus smirked. “We’ve got all of next semester too, of course. And possibly the one after that. Honestly I don't mind eternal punishment so bad.”

“Well then you should enjoy Christmas break,” Scorpius said. “Since Headmistress McGonagall canceled that for us.”

“Do you think we’ll actually have detention then?” Albus said.

“No. At least not with Professor Amery. She probably has a life, or at least a boyfriend to go see,” Scorpius said. Albus punched him in the shoulder lightly, but said nothing to argue it. He seemed proud that Scorpius had picked up some of his sarcasm. “What, you really like detention that much?”

Albus shrugged. “I’d rather not have it, but it’s better with her than somebody else.” He paused. “I like how it’s mainly busy work. I wouldn’t want to have to write an essay about what we did wrong or something like that. ”

"We already did that."

"Yeah, but only that one time."

Scorpius nodded. He understood entirely – and it went a lot deeper than Albus just hating essays.

“I still get nightmares, sometimes. About that other world,” Scorpius admitted.

Albus nodded. “I just wish I could go one day without thinking about time turners…Merlin, I don’t even like looking at clocks anymore!”

 _Then how do you think I feel?_   Scorpius didn’t say it. He knew Albus was struggling enough on his own.

Albus saw Scorpius’s sour expression. He stopped. They were now at the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room. He put his hand on Scorpius’ arm, supportively. Scorpius felt something flutter in his stomach. “Hey, if our parents could survive all they did, we’ll get through this. I’m sure we’ll feel better, eventually.”

“They survived, but I’m pretty sure they think about the war, like, every day.”

Albus had no good response to that.  He simply said “ _Aconite_ ,” and watched as the doors to the dungeons swung open.

* * *

Autumn passed and winter came. Students everywhere were excited for the break – a time to visit their families, eat tons of food, and of course exchange gifts. Who wasn’t a fan of the music, the decorations, and the general joviality of the holiday season? It really managed to put everyone in a good mood -even Rose Granger-Weasley.

"Have a Happy Christmas, Albus," Rose said. She'd even turned to Scorpius, who was of course standing next to his best friend. "And you too, Scorpius."

"You too!" Both boys said it. Scorpius bit his lip. Albus still thought that he liked Rose. Hell, Rose probably thought he still liked her. Scorpius had liked her at one point - at least, he thought he had - but then he came to realize he was projecting his feelings onto the wrong person...

Not everyone went home. There were always those few that stayed. Gryffindor Karl Jenkins, Ravenclaw Alexandra Wright, and fellow Slytherin Amy Gallingham. Albus and Scorpius, under the terms of their punishment, were right there with the rest of them.  

However, unlike all the other students who were stuck at Hogwarts for various reasons, the dynamic duo was left behind with actual assignments. They had to be kept busy, and while detention didn't exist, homework over break was one of their biggest Christmas gifts. Headmistress McGonagall almost looked sorry to assign it to them, but she did promise no homework on Christmas Eve or Day.  

“Homework over break?” Amy Gallingham asked, passing by the two boys in the Great Hall one day. The other students only had ideas of how much the two boys had really been punished. Her gaze was directed at the textbooks that they had brought with them to the Great Hall from the library.

Albus shrugged. “You can never get too ahead.”

“Huh. Well, I do wish I was that motivated!” She seemed somewhat impressed, somewhat amused. But overall it was completely a positive interaction. The two boys really had been more social lately, and nobody was mean at this time of year.

“You know, I’m not upset that we’re spending Christmas here!” Albus said to Scorpius, once Amy had walked off.

Though it wasn't Christmas Day yet, the atmosphere was undeniably festive. As usual, food was piled out in front of them for them to fill their golden plates, but now that almost everyone was gone, they could pig out without worrying about what others thought.

“My family is huge. One person being gone won’t make or break Christmas for them. And…” Albus grabbed some mashed potatoes. “I don't know what I'd be having for lunch right now at home, but it wouldn't be this good!” 

Scorpius took the potato bowl from Albus once he had finished scooping his portion out. “It’s also really spirited here.” He looked around. The Christmas decorations were as big and beautiful as always. The ornamented evergreen trees, the lights, even some music heard in the background. The ceiling really looked like snow was falling upon them, but without the cold and wet aftermath. There was truly a sense of Christmas cheer in the air.

“I’m sure your house has really nice decorations,” Albus pointed out, now taking a bit of turkey.

Scorpius shrugged. “Sure, but they’re not exactly cheery.” The boy paused, dragging his fork around the food on his plate a moment as he became lost in thought. “It used to be happier. Mum loved to decorate, but now it’s just done more out of formality than anything. My grandmother visits this time of year and I think she expects it to look classy, though she hasn't exactly said that. Maybe it's good, though. Otherwise I’m not sure if we’d do anything at all.”

Albus said, “I understand. Well, one Christmas, when we’re finally free from being prisoners here, you should come over to the Burrow! That’s kind of the Weasley headquarters. It’s always fun there. No formalities at all.”

“That’d be fun!” Scorpius smiled. He changed the topic slightly. "I do wish we could go somewhere, though. Like Hogsmeade. I miss that place. Hogwarts is fun, but we literally haven't left this campus since...well, you know.” There really was nothing more in the world Scorpius would rather do that moment than go to Hogsmeade with his friend. It was a charming place, and it would be very nice without the crowd of the school, just the two of them wandering the town…

Albus agreed, but his take on the situation seemed to be different. “I miss butterbeer."

"Butterbeer?"

"That's right. Do you realize how long it’s been since I last had any?”

“Third year, I suppose. Same as me.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t even get any the last time I went! I totally took it for granted.” Albus said. “Say, were we banned from there just this year or until we graduate?”

“I think just this year,” Scorpius answered. “At least if we act well enough.”

“True, and Headmistress McGonagall does like my parents a lot so maybe that’ll help,” Albus said, half joking. “Okay, first thing I want to do when we’re no longer prisoners is go to Hogsmeade and get butterbeer. It’s decided.”

“I agree,” Scorpius said. “But first, tonight we have to work on that paper about those old Ministers of Magic.”

The boys finished eating and decided to head back to the Slytherin dungeons to work on their extra assignment.  It was rather late, and being that barely anybody was there, they had decided to get extra comfortable and change into their pajamas before working downstairs.

They were the only ones in their dormitory for the break, and for some reason it made Scorpius feel weird. It just seemed rather intimate, and having his friend change into his pajamas so openly in front of him. There was nothing wrong with it, but Scorpius found that he could barely take his eyes off of his ignorant friend. He suddenly felt guilty and pulled his gaze away. He really hated himself for that. He hated these feelings so much sometimes.

They sat down on the couches downstairs in the Common Room, laying out their work in front of them strategically. The fire crackled in the background, giving a pleasant glow to the room. It reflected off of Albus’s eyes, and Scorpius caught himself thinking about that more than once. He enjoyed listening to Albus read through passages of the textbooks. His voice was getting deeper, though puberty was still doing its job. Scorpius liked it whenever Albus would reach over, brushing against Scorpius’s arm to grab a book or paper. He liked it even better when the two had gotten so relaxed that they were practically leaning against each other as they each wrote their own papers.

But surely in Albus’s mind, it was just two friends working together. Just friends. Friends who leaned against each other as they worked. For warmth, or something. It didn’t quite make sense in Scorpius’ mind – it simply frustrated him – but he wasn’t going to dare say anything. Albus couldn’t feel the same way…could he?

“Well, I think we have ourselves some good research papers!” Albus finally declared. He closed the textbook and started to stack them up to bring back to their bedroom. “Yours is better, but that’s expected.”

Scorpius smiled. “Yours is still pretty darn good.” He rolled up his parchment. His mind was barely focused on that though, and it annoyed him. His mind was centered on Albus, who was yawning now. It triggered a yawn from Scorpius as well. “It’s late. I’m going to bed.”

"Same," Albus said, so the two boys went up. 

Scorpius didn't sleep much that night. His mind couldn't relax from thoughts of the boy in the bed next to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pottermore says Draco's hobbies as an adult include studying alchemical manuscripts, so I decided to add that into this!

Whenever Scorpius couldn't sleep, he'd read. The boy would grab his wand from the nightstand, whisper _Lumos_ , and then quietly go through his trunk to find a good book or magazine to get his mind off the rest of the world. Most of the time he preferred fiction, though occasionally his insomnia made him so desperate that he would resort to reading through textbooks. He'd generally stick to the history ones.

Tonight he wasn't going to be satisfied with anything, however. He'd ended up pulling almost every book out of that trunk, until they were strewn about the room in a chaotic mess. He got to the very bottom of it, where he kept the books he hadn't read in years but had never bothered to take out. Leaning against his bed with his knees pulled to his chest, he opened one. A picture slid out from under the cover and landed on the floor beside him.

Scorpius picked it up, and he immediately regretted it. He hadn't opened that particular book since first year, and he knew so by the fact that the picture was a family shot from when he was about eleven. Balancing the book on his knee, Scorpius took a moment to look at the picture. His mother stood next to him, smiling warmly at the camera. She occasionally brushed some of her long, dark hair behind her ear, and then would move her arm around Scorpius in a motherly sort of way. The boy found himself staring at it longer than he'd planned to, feeling a horrible mix of nostalgia and sickness at the same time. His mind wandered back into the past a bit.

Most days during Scorpius's young childhood, Astoria felt fine, but there were some where she couldn’t even get out of bed. While this wasn't so often, especially when Scorpius was very little, it happened enough for him to quickly grow used to it. Though his heart always ached and his head never entirely understood.

During these early years, Scorpius liked to spend his time in his father’s study where there were books galore. He couldn’t even begin to understand most of the works at age six, but he’d simply enjoy scanning through the pages and picking out words he did know. Even just sitting in a chair and looking pensive satisfied him – he liked to appear like his father, who could read over all sorts of old and important texts for hours at a time.

Scorpius realized years later that he’d probably been quite the nuisance, but he loved to look over his father's shoulder as he worked. The papers would always be scattered nonsensically over his oak wood desk, though to Draco there must have been some sort of strategy. Most were older parchments, yellowed and sometimes torn at the edges. Others were newer, rolled up and tied with a string. Some were straight out of textbooks. A few pages were blank, or with a few notes Draco himself had written down.

Scorpius remembered standing next to where Draco sat, leaning against him as took in it all. “What are these?” 

“Alchemical manuscripts.”

Scorpius had picked up one of the textbooks from the table. It might have ruined Draco’s carefully placed mess, but the man didn’t stop him from looking over it. It had a lot of words Scorpius didn’t recognize, along with various formulas and numbers. “What are alc …” Scorpius stopped, waiting for his dad to finish the word for him.

Draco chuckled a little. “Alchemical manuscripts?” He said it slowly. Scorpius repeated the name, getting it right this time. “'Manuscripts' just means the papers. And 'alchemical' comes from the word 'alchemy.' That's transforming something into something else.”

“Can’t you do that with your wand?” Scorpius asked.

“It’s still different. A lot of people use it to make special elixirs.”

“What elixirs can you make?”

“All sorts of things,” Draco said. Then, a little more seriously, Draco added, “You have to be careful with it.”

“Are you going to make something?” Scorpius then asked, thumbing through the pages. He saw various old moving photographs of witches and wizards performing experiments. They ranged from about the time wizards got ahold of photography to the present day.

Scorpius propped himself on the arm of the chair in a causal manner with the book, content reading that and watching his father work with the quill silently. Then a certain picture caught Scorpius's attention. It was a young nursing witch pouring some sort of elixir into a bottle. The entire chapter was on the topic of curing diseases through alchemical practices. 

It looked just like the potions his mum always drank.

Years passed, the hobby never went away. Scorpius was used to seeing many strange concoctions being made around the house, though most of them ending up in the garbage. It was almost an every day occurrence.

Scorpius knew it was more than a coincidence that Draco had barely even gone into his study since Astoria had passed. Scorpius never brought it up, knowing his father hated discussing things like that, but Scorpius knew that Draco had to have felt guilty. It wasn't his fault - at least Astoria being sick wasn't - but maybe he had been hoping this could be the one thing he could control...

Back in the present, the book slid off of Scorpius's knees and hit the ground with a thud. 

"Scorpius, what's this? Is this the library now? It looks like a tornado came through..."

Scorpius looked up towards the direction of the sleepy voice. Albus was peeking through his bed's curtains, looking at his friend and the scattered books with a little concern but not surprised in the slightest.

"You nerd."

"Sorry," Scorpius said. "I just...can't sleep?"

"Does this happen a lot?"

"Not _a lot_ a lot. Just a lot sometimes. I mean, just sometimes. Occasionally," Scorpius said, feeling rather self-conscious. "Was I too loud? Can you see the light from your bed? I'll stop."

"No! You're fine. I was just wondering..." Albus looked at what Scorpius was holding. "Is that a picture?"

Scorpius nodded. Albus pulled the curtains further open and got down on the floor with his friend. When Scorpius didn't hide it, Albus looked over his shoulder to see what it was. Scorpius could feel his breath. They were incredibly close.

"It's a nice photo," Albus said, sympathetically. He sounded a little awkward. He knew it was a touchy topic - one they'd fought over in the past. "I didn't really say it at the funeral, but she seemed like a really good person. I wish I could have met her."

"She was," Scorpius said. "She would have loved you. I mean, she already did from all she'd heard. She thought you were so nice...But she would have loved to meet you, too." 

Scorpius turned to Albus, whose face was barely a few inches away. It was somewhat of a relief but somewhat of a disappoint when Albus scooted away to lean against his own bed.

"How old is that picture?"

"Not that old. Just before we started here," Scorpius said. He put the picture back in the book, and put the book back in his trunk. He went around and started organizing the rest of the books. "She was still pretty healthy then. I mean, relatively healthy. It was before it got really bad." 

Albus frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault or anything," Scorpius sat against his bed again and faced Albus. "We all knew it was going to happen for awhile. It was just hard to admit. Sometimes still is, I guess."

"Yeah," Albus agreed.

Scorpius paused. He had to admit he was a Malfoy. He had to admit there were rumors with that. He had to admit that his mother was gone. He had to admit that he'd messed with time and almost destroyed everything. And looking at the boy sitting in front of him, who was so willing to listen to anything he had to say, he really wanted to be willing to admit his feelings for him. He didn't want to be regretful, wishing he had said something more years later...but...

"I think I'll go to bed now," Scorpius said. He just couldn't say it right then. He feared ruining the moment. "I'm exhausted." He wasn't. 

Albus nodded. He did seem rather tired. "Okay, Scorpius. If you're sure. Good night. Again."

"Night."

* * *

On December 25th, Scorpius woke up first.  He slipped off of his bed and decided to go ahead and get ready for the day. He grinned as he saw various parcels at the end of his bed, but he decided not to open it yet. Being that it was Christmas, he wanted to look extra nice. It wasn’t that he was seeing many people that day, but something felt wrong about being too casual on such an important holiday. That Malfoy trait had stuck with him; he wouldn't deny it.

Albus got up about thirty minutes later. Scorpius was already done getting ready and reading a book on his bed. He saw Albus draw back the green curtains from his own bed.

“Morning. Happy Christmas,” Scorpius chimed.

Albus yawned. He was never particularly cheery in the mornings, but he smiled back at his friend anyway. “Happy Christmas, Scorpius. I see you’re all dressed and ready to show off. Rose isn’t here, you know.”

Scorpius bit his lip and shook his head. If anything, he'd been meaning to show off to Albus, not Rose. “Your cousin has nothing to do with it. It’s Christmas, so I dressed up.”

Albus blinked, then laughed.  “Really? It being Christmas is the exact reason I was planning on wearing my pajamas the whole day!" His gaze shifted to the presents by their bed. "Yes!"

The two boys took their stash and went down to the Common Room which had its own lovely Christmas tree set up to the right of the fire place. The boys propped themselves on the couches in the middle of the room, facing the hearth. They placed their gifts on the coffee table in front of them.

Scorpius motioned towards Albus’s box. “You first.”

“I think I already know what it is,” Albus said. He tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. First, he pulled out an envelope. It was most likely from his parents. He put that aside for afterwards. Then, he pulled out something green, big, and soft.

“A jumper?” Scorpius asked, watching as Albus held out out a wool sweater. His eyes widened a little when he saw the “A” on the front.

Albus blushed a little. “It’s…kind of tradition.” He held it up to himself. “Isn’t it hideous?”

Scorpius shook his head. “It’s cheesy, but I like it! And it looks really warm.”

Seeing Scorpius’s acceptance, Albus had to admit it. “It’s really comfortable, actually. My grandma knits them all for us.”

“For your _entire_ family?”

“Yeah! It amazes me, too,” Albus said. “Well, let’s see.” He pulled the sweater over his head and onto himself. “It fits! I don’t know how she does it."

"I'll say."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Now open yours!”

Scorpius took up the box in front of him. He opened it carefully. Along with a parchment, there was...

“A book?” Albus asked.

Scorpius’s face lit up. “Not just any book, Albus! Do you know what this is?” He held out the cover to the brunet, who shook his head. “You don’t know _Isadore and Blythe_? It’s only the greatest book series ever. It’s about these two siblings back in the middle ages. They had to fight this dragon to save their village. Well, that was the last book. Now they’re just heroes, but the village leader hates them. Wants them burned on a stake. This was back when Muggles and Wizards lived together, you see…!” Albus sat through a momentary tangent about the entire book series, expression amused and totally lost. "...well, yeah, that's at least the plot in short."

Albus laughed. “You absolute geek!” He took the book from Scorpius, skimming through the pages. “Your father knows you well, huh?”

“I guess he does.”

Albs continued, “I feel bad, because I totally would have gotten you something too...We just haven’t been able to leave the school at all and there’s no way to shop here.”

“Same,” Scorpius said. He held his hand out anxiously. Albus saw, rolled his eyes, but then smirked and handed back the precious book. Scorpius held it close. “Maybe expect a very belated Christmas gift in the mail this summer.”

“What, a copy of the first book in that series, maybe?” Albus said, grinning. Scorpius simply smiled. “I can’t knit you a sweater, but you’d better expect something too!”

They chatted a bit, and eventually Amy Gallingham wandered into the room. She was holding a lollipop which she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying. Seeing the two boys, she waved and sat down across from them.

“Anything good?” she asked, looking at their gifts. “Oh, I like the jumper! Looks soft. I’d wear it all the time.”

“Thanks.”

Scorpius stayed to talk with Amy and Albus for a bit, but eventually she and Albus ended up in a topic in which Scorpius didn’t have much interest. Or maybe he did, but he just couldn’t sit and watch Albus talk to somebody else like that. Not when he had that look in his eye. Or maybe there was no look in Albus’s eye, but Scorpius was just so uncomfortable with his own feelings that he was hallucinating reasons to have them.

The blond excused himself and took up his gifts. He put the book on his nightstand, deciding to start it that very night. He then pulled out the letter from his father. It would be a good time to read and answer it.

The note had his father’s perfect cursive, reflecting high society in every word. The actual correspondence was rather short and could be seen as more on the tepid side, but Scorpius knew the man well enough to understand that this was about as heartfelt as it got with his father. 

_Scorpius,_

_I hope you’re having a happy Christmas. I remember you talking about that book series last summer holiday, so I figured that would be a good gift for you. If you're ever feeling down over the break, I hope this helps at least give a little something to look forward to during it all._

_Your grandmother is visiting. She’s doing well, and is only sorry you couldn’t be here as well. I know you’re thinking it, so I will say: Don’t worry, she’s not mad about anything that has happened._

_You’ve been through quite a lot lately, and I really want you to try to relax and take things easy on yourself. You’re handling everything very well and I’m proud of you. Keep staying true to yourself._

_Love, Father_

Scorpius sighed and put the letter aside on his nightstand. With all the problems in his life, Albus shouldn’t have even begun to rank up there, but he did. Surely his father had meant the “stay true to yourself” as something much deeper, but it just made Scorpius want to get his feelings towards Albus off his chest.

When Albus finally came up, Scorpius had begun to respond to the letter. “Ah, writing back to your old man?”

“Yeah. It’s honestly really strange not being there in person on Christmas, you know? Like, I’m partially thankful but…well, this is the first time I haven’t spent it with family.” Scorpius put his quill down and faced Albus. He had a hundred thoughts racing through his mind, and about a million things his instinct wanted him to do.

Albus sat down beside his friend on the bed. Scorpius was hyper aware of this. “It is strange. But at least we’ve got each other, right?”

Now Scorpius felt incredibly flustered. “Right....so, I have to ask, because you were talking for awhile, you and Amy - "

“What, you think I like her?” Albus finished Scorpius’s question. “Don’t be stupid. I barely even know her. And even if I did, I don't think I'd ever like her like that.” Albus paused. "I mean, maybe in that alternative world where Polly Chapman liked you. Then maybe I'd like Amy. If I existed." He smirked. 

It was ridiculous to feel the wave of relief Scorpius did. He spent a lot of time just being thankful Albus existed after seeing that alternate reality, so it felt so superficial to be worrying about petty crushes. Still, Scorpius had to add, “I don’t like Rose, you know! I thought I did…but I don’t. Not like that!"

“Scorpius, what are you getting – “

Pale skin didn’t do much in covering the fact that all the blood was rushing to Scorpius’s face. “Nothing! I mean, I’m just letting you know I’m not interested in her. Or any girl, really. I mean, at one point I thought it would be easier if I did so I tried but...I really don't like girls."

Albus smiled. "I can't judge. If that's how you feel, then it's how you feel." There was a moment of silence. Albus wrung his fingers together, apparently attempting to figure out how to word the rest of response, carefully. “I mean, I like girls, but it’s not, like…exclusive.”

"So you swing both ways?"

There was a beat. "Yeah."

Another beat. 

“You know, we’ve been through a lot together,” Scorpius said.

“We have.”

“And we make a good team.”

“We do.”

They stared a moment, realizing what the other was meaning but not wanting to be the first to say it. Quivering slightly, Scorpius moved closer to his friend. Albus didn’t back away.

"I like you." Scorpius said it. Then he spoke with a little more confidence. "You're my best friend, and I don't want to make it awkward, and you can totally call me out right here and I'll never mention this again, but lately I haven't been able to stop thinking about this! About you, about us."

Scorpius saw the blush starting to form in Albus's cheeks. "I've been thinking the same, actually," Albus admitted. "I just wasn't sure enough to say anything. But exactly. That's it, Scorpius."

Scorpius didn't give a verbal response, but he didn't have to. Bodies so close, Scorpius only had to lean in a little before he could press his lips tentatively against his friend's. Albus momentarily tensed up, but then relaxed entirely. It was quick, and a little awkward, but at the same time completely natural. Scorpius felt as if his whole body was on fire.

When Scorpius leaned back, Albus was staring at him with big, green eyes. They portrayed both surprise and also satisfaction. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I just…I had to do it, at least once, I – “

Scorpius was cut off as Albus leaned forward this time himself, kissing his friend again with a little more confidence. Scorpius’s body relaxed a bit before they broke apart. Albus took Scorpius's hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. 

“I’ll consider that a good Christmas present,” Albus said. Scorpius felt a little lightheaded.

"Y-yeah..." Scorpius breathed. Then he giggled. And Albus snickered. And they both were so happy that they had fallen on their backs on the bed, laughing for a while. "It's good to know we feel the same!"

“I’m just happy to have finally kissed somebody who isn’t my aunt,” Albus said. “Bonus that it was with you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading everybody! I hope you enjoy the ending of this little story. :)

Scorpius could remember the talk his father had given him right after he’d fixed the time turner problem (at least, before Delphi attempted to ruin it all again). The two were in McGonagall’s office alone. He felt all eyes of the previous headmasters in the portraits looking down upon them. _Oh look, renegade Malfoy and his equally treacherous son._  Scorpius kept his focus on the floor, though his father was looking right at him. The boy wasn’t sure if he felt more guilt or downright embarrassment about the whole situation.  

“I’m sorry!” Scorpius blurted out, almost before his father could manage to close the door behind them. His cheeks were burning. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m –  “

Draco cut him off before he could start babbling. “Just tell me why you did it.”

There wasn't in anger in his voice. It sounded like his father was honestly curious and frankly concerned for him. There were four chairs in front of McGonagall's desk, and Draco sat at the left one on the end, turning it to face the others. Scorpius tentatively sat in the one on the other end, leaving two empty chairs in between them. He didn't look back at his father. He just couldn't.

There was a silence - Draco was waiting for Scorpius to answer. He hesitated. The boy was trying to organize his thoughts, start from the beginning. He wasn't so proud of it. The time turner, which he still had hidden in his cloak pockets to secretly destroy later, felt like a million pounds. “It’s stupid.”

“I’m sure it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. I just wanted to do something exciting for once, you know?” Scorpius looked up. Draco raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the full truth. Both father and son knew it. 

“Albus had this whole idea about saving Cedric Diggory. He’d heard about the time turner hidden in the ministry. He thought he could use it to go back in time and save Cedric like a hero.”

“He’s a Potter alright.”

“Saving somebody’s life sounded like a wholesome cause. It was reckless but I wanted to go on an adventure with a friend, kind of like...well, like Albus's dad," Scorpius paused. He wondered if his face could get any redder. "Well, no, that's not it. Really, I thought if I could save this Cedric guy’s life, then I couldn’t be so evil, could I? Everyone’s seen me as Voldemort’s son or another horrible blood purist for so long and I wanted to prove them wrong! I wanted to show that being a Malfoy isn’t my fault!” The boy stopped. He realized that may have been offensive. “I mean, that it doesn’t make me bad. Or you bad. We’re just born into this…but I feel like I just proved everyone right.”

Draco sighed. He didn’t look particularly surprised, nor did he appear disappointed in Scorpius. If anything, he seemed disappointed in himself. “Of course this would happen…”

“I know, we all have horrible luck.”

“I won’t deny that. Nothing about this stunt was thought out - it was dumb...but you're right. It wasn't evil.”

Scorpius felt his eyes burn. He hoped his father didn’t notice, but he probably did, because at that moment Draco conveniently looked away. “I saw another world. Voldemort had one and there were dementors everywhere. Muggleborns and muggles alike were being killed. And it’s all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault. If Cedric had lived, without you going to the past, then it would have turned out like that anyway.”

“It was terrifying. Even you were different,” Scorpius glanced at his dad’s left arm. “You just did whatever the Ministry told you to do. You were like their pawn! And it’s scary to think it would have been like that if…I’m sorry, but if you won.”

Draco frowned. He sighed again and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his fingers on his temples. He didn’t say anything a moment, as if he was trying to gather his own thoughts and organize them into something that made any ounce of sense. These heart to heart moments were rare. And awkward. And horrible. 

“I don't think I lost," the man finally said. “At that time - the war - I felt like a shell of a person. And really I was, when all was said and done. Everything I’d been raised to believe in was torn apart after the war and I was left with basically nothing. I felt like the biggest loser out there.”

“Oh, I feel like that a lot,” Scorpius agreed.

“My father set my entire life up for me. Almost every friend I had was through somebody he knew. Every belief was just a repeat of what he said. For some things that’s not bad, but I believe a child - a person - should be allowed to form their own opinions in the end. After the war I finally got a chance to act on my own, though. So maybe, just maybe, that could be considered a win. Mistakes are bound to happen to anybody, but maybe I could have made a lot less if I felt like I had options. I did a lot of stupid things."

“You gave me options and I messed up pretty bad,” Scorpius frowned.

Draco said, “You fixed it, though."

Instinctively, Scorpius placed his hand on the pocket where the time turner was. _Not yet_. He looked away again. He gave a sort of hum in acknowledgement, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. 

“I had to lose to win. And you lost once to win. And winning afterwards takes effort. I had to rebuild myself, just like you had to work to get back the present.”

“Grandfather never worked on anything else,” Scorpius said. “He just accepted loss.”

“That's right.”

Father and son were quiet a moment. Scorpius felt a little better, though he still feared breaking down crying at any moment. He couldn't wait to get to Albus and destroy the time turner with his friend - destroy this whole, terrible mistake and start over.

His next thought didn’t particularly help the dark mood, though at the same time it was a little comforting.

“In that other world, Mum was the same. She was still gone, but the way you - or that other you - described her proved she was still good. And well, I don’t know. I just thought it was kind of comforting.”

Draco give a small smile. 

* * *

Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy were dating. Kind of. They were secretly a thing.

In the past, a lot of students had already joked about that. However, it had been no more than bullying tactics: " _Oh look, Potter's disgraceful son is dating the Dark Lord's spawn_!" Now that the rumor was dispelled and the boys weren't totally hated by their peers, the accusation faded away. It was rather ironic, now that they were actually doing what everyone else had previously mocked. 

Rose seemed to be expecting Scorpius to make a move on her. He’d been opening up a lot more lately. As he became more confident with himself, she seemed more comfortable being around him. However, he didn’t pay much mind to her. This seemed to annoy her.

One day, in between finals and the grades being posted, Rose went out of her way to find Scorpius. He was walking to the Grand Hall from the Slytherin dungeons when she'd walked up.

"Oh, Scorpius! I didn't expect to see you here!" she said, stopping right in front of his path. It couldn't have been coincidence - she would have had no reason to be in that area of the castle unless if she had been a Slytherin herself. “Do you want to eat together? I was just going to the Grand Hall now.”  

It caught Scorpius off guard, but his response seemed to confuse her more.

“Well, I’m already eating with others,” Scorpius said. He really was. There was a whole group of Slytherins he'd planned to eat with. He was really moving up the social rankings: from total loser to just regular loser, as a matter of fact. “You can sit with us!”

Rose blinked. “Oh…no, it's okay. Have fun!” She quickly left. Scorpius almost felt bad, but he knew she’d be alright. 

Later that day in the dormitories, Scorpius told Albus what had happened. They were sitting on his bed, with the curtains drawn.

“She was never very nice to you, anyway,” Albus said. “I’m happy you decided not to ask her out.”

“She’s your cousin Albus, cut her some slack!” Scorpius said. Then he smiled. “I know you’re happy…I am too. But I guess she doesn’t know the reason yet.”

Albus blushed slightly. “Yeah well, I don’t want anybody in my family finding out before my parents. I don't need them learning second-handedly. I’d rather talk to them about it in person…”

“Fair enough." Scorpius had agreed to keep it secret. He didn’t want to be too open about it until he’d talked to his father, either.

The two exchanged a kiss and opened the curtains. It was time to play it cool for a few more days. 

* * *

 

Summer vacation was finally at Hogwarts. Children excitedly packed their bags and trunks and made their way to the train station. It was time to see their families again, and not have to worry about homework and essays…at least for most of them.

Of course Albus and Scorpius were given summer work. 

"McGonagall will probably assign us work even after we graduate," Albus groaned. It was a joke, but both boys could easily envision that happening in reality.

Having behaved very well all school year, however, the dynamic duo was finally allowed to go home. They would be leaving the campus for the first time in months. McGonagall claimed it would “be very beneficial to spend some time with their families,” so it was probably more about that than having any actual freedom. Whatever the case, both boys were grateful to have a break. Though they would miss seeing each other so often.

 

The trip back on the Hogwarts Express was a nice one.  They sat in a compartment with Amy, meanwhile Karl Jenkins and Polly Chapman didn’t say a single rude comment. The boys overspent in sweets - neither of them had any particular reason to save money - and spent the majority of the ride daring each other to eat Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans or reading the cards in chocolate frog packets. It really felt like first year - there was a certain lighthearted, innocence about enjoying every little thing. After all that had happened and their feelings mutually expressed and shared, they could relax. Finally. 

After the ride, they stepped off, saw their prospective families, and faced each other one last time.

“Have a good summer, Scorpius,” Albus said.

“You know you can come over anytime,” Scorpius said. “Honestly, it gets rather lonely at home.  You can only talk to the house elves so long before they have to go do other work."

Albus grinned. “Just can’t take it that long without me? I’ll send you an owl about when works for me. But first...I guess we need to find a way to come out to our parents."

"Yeah."

The two stood there a second longer, and then embraced.

“Hugging again, huh? Right in front of our families? Is this how you intended to let them know?” Scorpius laughed.

Albus joined in. "Just giving them a hint! See you, Scorpius!"

Then the two parted ways.

* * *

 

Draco and Scorpius were quick to get back to Malfoy Manor. It was the same as always: a large, looming mansion sitting at the end of an even larger driveway (Scorpius could imagine Albus’ reaction if he saw it: “Do any of you even drive?!”). The land surrounding appeared to be endless, without another house or building in sight. Generally the massive structure was bleak, but it was a bright, sunny day and that helped take away the gloom. 

The intricacies and décor of the Manor’s interior design all seemed rather superfluous – just a façade to show off. But alone, there was no reason to show off, was there? Really, the house must have been lonely for Draco these days, Scorpius realized. Sure, he had his fellow upper class socialites as friends and various hobbies to keep him busy, but after Astoria’s death, he seemed to be less and less involved in both of these aspects of his life. Scorpius wondered if maybe one day, the Potters and Weasleys could come over. Imagine that. The Minister of Magic in their house - and for something good this time! 

Well, there was only way to get that idea to be reality. His father really wanted him to be comfortable as himself, this was the way to do it. Even if Albus wasn’t the one – not that he could picture himself with anyone else – certain feelings of his were never going to change. Draco had a right to know that. 

As usual, once the pair stepped inside, the house elves were quick to apparate, take the luggage, and disapparate again to put it away in Scorpius's roomed. Assuming that his son would want to have some time to unpack and get used to being back home on his own, Draco began to walk towards the living room, but Scorpius stopped him.

“I need to tell you something,” the boy said, with a sort of uncomfortable determination. 

Draco turned around and faced his son. “Yes?”

“It’s nothing bad! It’s just kinda important? I mean, not really…well, yes really…oh I don’t know. I guess I wanted you to know before anybody else knew. Or that would be awkward. Well, it already is. I – “

“Scorpius, you can tell me anything.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just. I’m…” He paused. He just had to say it. One word. One syllable. “ _Gay_.”

Scorpius tentatively looked at his father to see how the man took this piece of information. As usual, he looked rather unmoved by it. If anything, Draco almost appeared amused, as if he was expecting it for a long time.

“That’s fine.”

"It's not a disgrace?"

"Out of all the things that are disgraceful, that's definitely not one of them."

"It doesn't go against the Malfoy standards?"

"Do you really think I care about that?"

Scorpius gave a small smile. He felt a wave of relief rush through him. “I’m sure Grandfather would have an aneurysm if he knew.”

“I’m sure he would. All the better,” Draco grinned. He was keeping it lighthearted, thankfully. “Is there someone in particular?”

“I think you know.”

“I’ve learned not to make assumptions.”

Scorpius smiled bashfully. “It’s your _best friend_ ’s son.”

"Albus."

"Yes."

“It’s mutual?”

“Yes.”

Draco smirked. “I’d just love to see the look on Harry Potter’s face when he’s told about this.”


End file.
